Out to lunch

MEPs have a new dedicated sandwich bar in the Parliament building in Brussels.

The new facility can seat up to 30 people as well as offering nine ‘standing’ places.

Proof, if it were needed, that MEPs know which way their bread is buttered.

UK Socialist MEP Eryl McNally has been awarded the Legion d’Honneur, France’s highest decoration, in recognition of her efforts to improve understanding between France and Britain, particularly in the fields of language and culture.

McNally, who represents the east of England, was presented with the decoration by Gerard Errera, France’s ambassador to the UK.

The Legion d’Honneur was first minted by Napoleon 200 years ago.

Italian MEP Pietro-Paolo Mennea, the former sprinter who competed in five Olympics, felt he’d be a world champion from the age of 12.

Too fleet of foot for his peers, he recalls how he honed his running skills in his home town of Barletta by racing against cars instead.

“At the signal they burned the rubber and I started to run: I always came in first.”

We can only assume he was up against Fiats, not Ferraris…

When it comes to cheesy corporate messages, you really need to go that extra mile just to get noticed…and boy, did one gift from the Belgian offices of global PR firm Porter Novelli make an impression on the men – and women – of EV. Discreetly clad in a slim brown envelope addressed to ‘Ms Editorial Desk’, the Novelli staff had a real ace up their sleeve: a full deck of playing cards featuring snapshots of the entire team (sans official titles, although we have deduced that Luc – the Jack of Clubs – is the supreme commander of the deck).

A slim-faced blonde named Valérie was the most popular among our Mr Men, while the Ms Editorials were especially drawn to the dashing, dark Jurgen.

The pair of them can feel free to stop by our offices anytime!

They say good news travels fast and news of the success of Entre Nous (among the most-eagerly read pages in European Voice) has reached the good folk behind popular Belgian beer Maes.

The brewer has produced a range of new beer mats which carries the message: “Entre nous, c’est Maes”.

There is something splendidly parochial about the state-aid investigation launched last week by the European Commission’s competition department into JC Decaux, a French advertising company. The question …